Pillsbury Hall, University of Minnesota campus, c.1900. Photographer: James Methven.

Since opening its doors in 1889, Pillsbury Hall has been home to a variety of University of Minnesota departments. It seems fitting that mineralogy and geology were among those disciplines, because the hall resembles a large, multifaceted specimen of rock wrested from the earth and awaiting scientific study.

The building was, in fact, constructed from locally quarried Minnesota stone, much of which retains a rough-hewn character. But the facades also reveal the artistry of the craftsmen who skillfully transformed the hard material into delicate carvings, gargoyles, and polychromatic patterns.

Designed by Leroy Buffington and Harvey Ellis in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, Pillsbury Hall also offers lessons in the forces of nature. The large rusticated stones on the lower portion of the building are undeniably anchored by the earth's gravitational pull, and the squat columns of the arcade appear to have narrowly escaped being drawn by that force into the ground. The massive arches of the entrance compress and narrow as they recede, exerting a visual magnetic pull on anyone who ascends the stairways.

The structure, one of the university's oldest extant buildings, stands in the heart of the National Register-listed Old Campus Historic District, once the heart of the land-grant school. In the early twenty first century, the district is only a small sector of the sprawling campus, which boasts stunning newer buildings by many of the stars of the architectural firmament. Although they may be newer and shinier, this crop of turn-of-the-twenty-first-century buildings has done little to diminish the aesthetic and textural charm of the historic hall; in fact, they only serve to counterpoint its beauty.

More than 100 years old, Pillsbury Hall remains a head-turner of a building and an expressive reminder that they certainly don't build them like they used to.

Related Resources

Primary

Pillsbury, J.S. An address delivered by Hon. John S. Pillsbury before the alumni of the University of Minnesota at the West Hotel, Minneapolis, June 1st 1893: being a sketch of the growth and development of the University for the thirty years in which he has been a regent. [Minneapolis]: Alumni Association, University of Minnesota, [1893].

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John S. Pillsbury and Family Papers, 1833–1934
Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Description: Financial and legal records relating to John S. Pillsbury's various business enterprises. There is also a little information on family history, Minneapolis civic affairs, and Pillsbury's role as governor and as a member of the board of regents of the University of Minnesota.

Secondary

Johnson, E. Bird. Forty Years of the University of Minnesota. Minneapolis: The General Alumni Association, 1910.

Landscape Research. The University of Minnesota Preservation Plan. St. Paul: Landscape Research, 1998.

University of Minnesota Board of Regents. John S. Pillsbury, "Father of the University." Resolutions adopted by the Board of Regents and memorial addresses delivered on commencement day, June 5, 1902. [Minneapolis]: University of Minnesota, 1902.

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Turning Point

Named in honor of John S. Pillsbury and designed by Leroy Buffington and Harvey Ellis in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, Pillsbury Hall on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis opens its doors in 1889.

Chronology

1889

Pillsbury Hall opens as a science building, part of the first major expansion of the University of Minnesota.

1984

Pillsbury Hall is placed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the University of Minnesota's Old Campus Historic District.